PDF (Portable Document Format) is a popular format for documents for download. Often people convert their Word and PowerPoint documents into PDF for distribution. PDFs are particularly suitable for use when the appearance of the document is a priority. For this reason, PDF is widely used by graphic designers and printers.

Some benefits to using PDF are:

1. Layout, choice of fonts, colours and graphics all appear
   
   
2. The software to read PDFs is free.
   
   
3. They can be 'locked', ensuring no parts are changed.

 

There are, however, drawbacks to using PDFs:

1. They can be slow to download. Many authors unintentionally create huge PDFs with images that have not been optimized for the screen. These large files are slow to download and also take up storage space. Remember that many users do not have access to broadband off campus.
   
   
2. They are difficult to navigate. Getting around a PDF can require extensive scrolling up and down, and side to side. This can be annoying for any reader, but can be difficult for a reader with mobility impairments.
   
   
3. They can be inaccessible to the blind or visually impaired. A PDF is frequently created from a document which has not been prepared using styles. Consequently, PDFs can present difficulties for screenreaders. For example, if text appears in two columns, a screenreader may try to read across one line at a time. Text that appears over images may not be read at all.
   
   
4. PDFs created from scanning documents from print are useless for people who use screenreaders.
   

Many PDFs can be made accessible, but the process is time-consuming and relatively complex.

 

Things to remember if using PDFs:

1. Is PDF necessary? If you are providing a document with just text and some images, perhaps rtf, doc or html is better. These formats have small file sizes and can be manipulated more freely by a variety of users.
   
   
2. Do you need to preserve layout or particular design features? Consider providing a text-only version alongside your PDF.
   
   
3. When creating a document in Word, use styles to apply formatting. This formatting will be carried forward if you create a PDF and will help screenreaders.
   
   
4. If you are using images in your document, ensure that these images have been optimized for on screen use. This will help reduce the size of your PDF.
   
   
5. Remove unnecessary security options. Ticking some security options may restrict users from changing fonts or printing.
   
   
6. Remember that not everyone has Adobe Acrobat - the PDF reader - on their computer. Some users may need to access material on handheld devices or phones, devices which may not be able to open PDFs.